Bug 403495

Summary: screen configuration lost after xorg driver switch
Product: [Plasma] plasmashell Reporter: arne anka <kde-bugs>
Component: generic-multiscreenAssignee: Aleix Pol <aleixpol>
Status: RESOLVED UPSTREAM    
Severity: normal CC: kde, plasma-bugs-null
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: 5.14.3   
Target Milestone: 1.0   
Platform: Debian unstable   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description arne anka 2019-01-22 11:30:08 UTC
SUMMARY

go a setup with two screens, both configured differently (panels, folder view).
after switching Xorg driver from nouveau to nvidia, the left/second screen had the configuration of the right/first, and the right/first screen had neither panel nor configured wallpaper anmyore.
the config of the left/second screen is inaccessible, but in the "add widgets" I see the widgets of that screen as still in use (counter label shows), but I can't neither access nor delete them.

I'm not quite sure, but the identifiers shown in 
System Settings -> Display and Monitor -> Displays
now are DP-4 and DP-5 whereas IIRC before they were something with -1 and -2.

Nevertheless, that shouldn't cause such an issue.
Even after switching the Xorg driver there are still two screens in the same position to each other, so whatever happened the configuration of "left screen" and "right screen" should not change suddenly, whatever the identifier.

EDIT: while looking at the System Settings' section, I notice that there's a DP-3 shown as inactive. Now, where does that come from? 
EDIT 2: Switching Primary display makes the screen configuration switch screens suddenly (left config w/ panel and folder view suddenly right and vice versa).



STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. switch Xorg driver (from nouveau to nvidia)
2. log back in
3. 

OBSERVED RESULT

screen configuration messed up, for the left screen beyond access, for the right moved now to the left, and the right now completely w/o panels etc

EXPECTED RESULT

left screen and right screen should stay as they were before -- after all, only the Xorg driver changed which is for below plasmashell and should not affect the screen configuration in a DM

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Windows: 
MacOS: 
Linux/KDE Plasma: 
(available in About System)
KDE Plasma Version: 
KDE Frameworks Version: 
Qt Version: 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Comment 1 Kai Uwe Broulik 2019-01-22 11:41:58 UTC
If the name changes, how is it it supposed to relate the screens to one another. There's not much we can do in this case, unfortunately.

How should it know DP-1 is now DP-somethingelse?
Comment 2 arne anka 2019-01-23 09:43:35 UTC
Well, if names change that easily, they're no reliable identifiers.
What about
- left screen
- right screen
?

The screens' position (left/right) did not change, the hardware did not change (resolution, and thus the coordinate origin for the layout).

Seems to me much more reliable and stable than arbitrary names, dependent on a driver's whim.
Comment 3 Kai Uwe Broulik 2019-01-23 09:44:44 UTC
Ideally there were also rainbows and unicorns but that's not something we control.